Last night was an incredibly rare performance of John Cage's HPSCHD. After seeing the production, it's understandable why it's mounted so rarely - it's really a monumental task. 7 harpsichords, video projections and electroacoustic sounds. And what you end up with is really more of a cocktail party with bizarre background music. It's more of an event to experience, rather than music to listen to.
I did at one point sit down and close my eyes and focus on what I was hearing, dissecting the various layers of sound. What I heard was talking and the electronic music. I couldn't hear a single harpsichord note!
I do wish I'd brought my camera, but there were lots there, so I'm sure I'll find some pictures to post. I recorded lots of audio samples, which I'll edit up and post, as well as an interesting conversation with composer Emily Hall and Continuum's artistic director Jennifer Waring, in the car on the way home.
I think the conclusion the three of us came up with is that it's a piece that belongs to its time, and doesn't work well outside of its context as a musical or philosophical work. Mounting it in 2008 seems more of a celebration of what it and Cage were. But it's still something really cool to have taken part in, and something I might never get a chance to do again.
More later.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Penderecki Quartet
It's all too rare that we get to hear great music played by truly world class performers. Last night's concert of the Penderecki string quartet was all that and more.
We heard music from visiting Italian composers Ada Gentile and and Riccardo Piacentini. Gentile's 3rd and 1st quartets were played back to back, and even though these quartets were only composed a few years apart (2000 and 1996), I appreciated having the opportunity to hear how her writing had changed between the two (though I did find it curious that the more recent was played first).
We also heard the group perform the music of its namesake, his second quartet. Obviously one would expect this group to excel at Penderecki's music, but this performance overcame any expectation. Wow. Just, wow. The expressive capability of this group is exceptional. They have a spectacular range of dynamic, colour, texture, everything that makes the music come alive.
In the second half we heard the 3rd quartet of Andrzej Panufnik. Panufnik is not heard often on this side of the pond, though apparently he was very well known and respected in his native Poland when he was active there. (He died in 1991.) I'm familiar with his music, having written a paper on one of his pieces when I was in school, but I hadn't heard this piece before. I quite enjoyed it - despite its somewhat traditional sound, it's full of expression and emotion, much like his music I'm more familiar with. If you've never heard of him before, check him out - it'll be worth your time.
The concert wrapped up with a premiere by Pianentini. At this point I should mention that inside the Music Gallery the temperature hovered around 35 degrees, with no fans on at all. I have no idea how the musicians not only made it through such a challenging concert (in full concert dress no less) but played to their exceedingly high standard. But by the end of the evening there's no doubt everyone was beat. I do wish this piece had been placed earlier in the program, because I think I would have paid much closer attention and enjoyed it much more had I not been trying to retain consciousness.
A world-class performance indeed.
We heard music from visiting Italian composers Ada Gentile and and Riccardo Piacentini. Gentile's 3rd and 1st quartets were played back to back, and even though these quartets were only composed a few years apart (2000 and 1996), I appreciated having the opportunity to hear how her writing had changed between the two (though I did find it curious that the more recent was played first).
We also heard the group perform the music of its namesake, his second quartet. Obviously one would expect this group to excel at Penderecki's music, but this performance overcame any expectation. Wow. Just, wow. The expressive capability of this group is exceptional. They have a spectacular range of dynamic, colour, texture, everything that makes the music come alive.
In the second half we heard the 3rd quartet of Andrzej Panufnik. Panufnik is not heard often on this side of the pond, though apparently he was very well known and respected in his native Poland when he was active there. (He died in 1991.) I'm familiar with his music, having written a paper on one of his pieces when I was in school, but I hadn't heard this piece before. I quite enjoyed it - despite its somewhat traditional sound, it's full of expression and emotion, much like his music I'm more familiar with. If you've never heard of him before, check him out - it'll be worth your time.
The concert wrapped up with a premiere by Pianentini. At this point I should mention that inside the Music Gallery the temperature hovered around 35 degrees, with no fans on at all. I have no idea how the musicians not only made it through such a challenging concert (in full concert dress no less) but played to their exceedingly high standard. But by the end of the evening there's no doubt everyone was beat. I do wish this piece had been placed earlier in the program, because I think I would have paid much closer attention and enjoyed it much more had I not been trying to retain consciousness.
A world-class performance indeed.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Rechenzentrum
Last night we saw a screening of Rechenzentrum's latest DVD entitled Silence. Rechenzentrum is the duo of Marc Weiser (music) and Lillevan (visuals). The dvd consisted of 13 vignettes of music and video. Lillevan gave a brief q&a after the screening, in which he explained that dvds such as this are not the end product of their work as a duo, but rather the live semi-improvised collaborations are the final product. He went on to explain that this dvd was a snapshot of what they were doing at the time, and that their work together was always evolving and changing.
I'm not unfamiliar with multimedia works such as this, however I'm more familiar with the Montreal style works of composers like Jean Piche. This collaboration I found to be a bit more disjointed - it seemed to me that neither the music nor the video had any focal point, but instead seemed to support each other. While this does ensure the integration of both, it leaves the overall work somewhat directionless. The music I didn't find overly compelling, and while the visuals captured my attention, I didn't find they held it for the near-hour of the work. I don't mean to suggest that such a work needs to be framed within a narrative, or take more of a clear direction, however I would have liked to have seen or heard more presence from either aspect. Perhaps if the music were more engaging it would have carried me along better. Instead, the first 8 or 16 bars of each piece/song more or less revealed the entire scope of the tune.
I can't say I didn't enjoy it, or that I wasn't intrigued by it, but I can't say I'd readily go see/hear it again. I would, however, be quite interested to see their live show, where, as Lillevan explained, he works with thousands of video bits and arranges them on the fly as the music and his own intuition dictate.
I'd love to hear comments from someone more familiar with these types of works, so by all means, comment away! Tell me how I completely missed the boat, how naive I am, etc.!
I'm not unfamiliar with multimedia works such as this, however I'm more familiar with the Montreal style works of composers like Jean Piche. This collaboration I found to be a bit more disjointed - it seemed to me that neither the music nor the video had any focal point, but instead seemed to support each other. While this does ensure the integration of both, it leaves the overall work somewhat directionless. The music I didn't find overly compelling, and while the visuals captured my attention, I didn't find they held it for the near-hour of the work. I don't mean to suggest that such a work needs to be framed within a narrative, or take more of a clear direction, however I would have liked to have seen or heard more presence from either aspect. Perhaps if the music were more engaging it would have carried me along better. Instead, the first 8 or 16 bars of each piece/song more or less revealed the entire scope of the tune.
I can't say I didn't enjoy it, or that I wasn't intrigued by it, but I can't say I'd readily go see/hear it again. I would, however, be quite interested to see their live show, where, as Lillevan explained, he works with thousands of video bits and arranges them on the fly as the music and his own intuition dictate.
I'd love to hear comments from someone more familiar with these types of works, so by all means, comment away! Tell me how I completely missed the boat, how naive I am, etc.!
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Hits and Misses
Tonight we heard the Cantus Ensemble, from Zagreb, Croatia perform a series of pieces, mostly from Croatian composers. For me the program was hit and miss, delivering a couple good pieces and a couple forgettable. The program started off with my least favourite of the evening, a rather straightforward, unimaginative three movement work. However things quickly changed directions with the second piece, disORDER by Kresimir Seletkovic. I found myself unable to follow where the composer was going throughout the piece, but always intrigued to find out where we'd end up. The only Canadian piece on the program, Michael Pepa's Isomorphe, rounded out the first half. This piece featured the ensemble plus violin, accordion and mezzo soloists. The quieter moments were particular notable, as was the solo violin part. The piece ended beautifully with a soft, static harmony held in the strings and pizzicato bass on a repeated note.
The second half started with a piece written by the ensemble's conductor, Berislav Sipus. This work came dangerously close to over-reliance on texture and colour, but didn't quite overdo it. The second piece of this half, Srdjan Dedic's Ich Vergesse Dich Nicht (I Won't Forget You) is ironically-titled at best. This 3-movement work lost me near the beginning of the second movement and never got me back. I'll most definitely forget it.
The concert ended with a work called Dolce Furioso by Dubravko Detoni. The title is extremely apt, as the piece constantly moves back and forth between soft and loud sections, often quite violently. This piece featured a brief but very dramatic and effective section in the middle where the entire ensemble mimes playing their instruments in a "furioso" section. It was quite striking to watch the whole ensemble appearing to play madly, with not a sound coming from the stage. Unfortunately some in the audience found this more comical than dramatic, which really takes away from the significance of it.
But enough about the music, because ultimately, at least in my opinion, this concert was about the ensemble, not the repertoire. These guys are absolutely awesome. Technically, expressively, they're the whole package. Particular standouts were the cellist, flautist and trombonist. Even in the very rhythmically demanding Dolce Furioso, the ensemble was razor-sharp. Unison passages were played so perfectly I had to watch sometimes to see what instruments were playing.
This is two nights in a row we've been treated to exceptional, world-class performers. What a treat. It's also two nights in a row I've wanted the concert to keep going, though for very different reasons. Last night I just wanted to keep hearing Lori Freedman and Frances-Marie Uitti keep playing. Tonight, I wanted to hear this fantastic ensemble dig into some classics of the chamber orchestra rep, because it would've been truly memorable to hear them played by such a fine group.
The second half started with a piece written by the ensemble's conductor, Berislav Sipus. This work came dangerously close to over-reliance on texture and colour, but didn't quite overdo it. The second piece of this half, Srdjan Dedic's Ich Vergesse Dich Nicht (I Won't Forget You) is ironically-titled at best. This 3-movement work lost me near the beginning of the second movement and never got me back. I'll most definitely forget it.
The concert ended with a work called Dolce Furioso by Dubravko Detoni. The title is extremely apt, as the piece constantly moves back and forth between soft and loud sections, often quite violently. This piece featured a brief but very dramatic and effective section in the middle where the entire ensemble mimes playing their instruments in a "furioso" section. It was quite striking to watch the whole ensemble appearing to play madly, with not a sound coming from the stage. Unfortunately some in the audience found this more comical than dramatic, which really takes away from the significance of it.
But enough about the music, because ultimately, at least in my opinion, this concert was about the ensemble, not the repertoire. These guys are absolutely awesome. Technically, expressively, they're the whole package. Particular standouts were the cellist, flautist and trombonist. Even in the very rhythmically demanding Dolce Furioso, the ensemble was razor-sharp. Unison passages were played so perfectly I had to watch sometimes to see what instruments were playing.
This is two nights in a row we've been treated to exceptional, world-class performers. What a treat. It's also two nights in a row I've wanted the concert to keep going, though for very different reasons. Last night I just wanted to keep hearing Lori Freedman and Frances-Marie Uitti keep playing. Tonight, I wanted to hear this fantastic ensemble dig into some classics of the chamber orchestra rep, because it would've been truly memorable to hear them played by such a fine group.
May 31 podcast
Music and conversations from last night's concert featuring Lori Freedman and Frances-Marie Uitti. The first audio you hear is the wonderful La Notte that I raved about last night. You'll also hear Frances-Marie describing this piece in her own words. There's also a short interview with Richard Marsella, aka Friendly Rich, aka director of the Ontario region of the Canadian Music Centre, and a conversation between myself, Richard and composer Paul Frehner, where Paul discusses Christine Duncan's mystery concert yesterday at Somewhere There.
May 24 podcast part two
Here's the audio from the second concert from May 24, World Beats. You'll hear the Evergreen Club Contemporary Gamelan and the various percussion groups, ending with the jam session with all the musicians from the concert. The audio clips are interspersed with clips from my conversation with composer Vince Ho, where he discusses what attracts him to a piece of music.
Ok, it's been a few days, but we're back into the thick of things now. Tonight the Music Gallery was filled with the sounds of cello and clarinet with Frances-Marie Uitti and Lori Freedman. You know you can't go wrong...
I said this blog would be about the music, and not get personal and self-indulgent, but let me put tonight's concert in my own personal context. For me, and I suspect for most of us, a lot of the new music we hear is ultimately forgettable. Not necessarily bad, but not overly good. And we all agree that this is part of the game - this music needs and deserves to be heard. Performers and presenters haven't had the decades or centuries of filters that dinosaur ensembles have, to get rid of the mediocre and bad music. Of the good music we hear, much falls into the "good" or "great" categories, but it's all too rare that we hear a true gem.
Over the last few years I've grown much more critical and discriminating in what makes the "good" or "great" cut - I suppose that's just natural as we hear more and more music as we get older. But usually I can count on hearing one gem of a piece each season - the kind of piece that sticks with you, that you can't forget about, that you crave to hear again and again. I fully realize that these kinds of pieces can differ greatly from person to person - I've had long arguments with people over pieces that made my "gem" list which they thought were garbage, or at best "good", and vice-versa. But whatever it is that makes it into the "excellent" category, you know it when you hear it, and you can't forget it.
Tonight I got one of those in Frances-Marie Uitti's "La Notte". I'm even at a loss as to how to start describing this piece. It's beautiful, yes, but what does that mean - to me, or to anyone else? Should I describe it technically? Walk you through it? My personal reaction to it? In the end, none of these will do the piece justice, which is, I suppose, why we have music - to communicate something we can't otherwise communicate with words.
I suppose I could at least take a stab at describing it. First off, I imagine the piece would suffer in the hands of any performer other than those of the composer. What a treat to have the ultimate performer for such a great piece. And no doubt, Uitti and Lori Freedman are the ultimate performers. It starts with what at first appearances are traditional arpeggiated chords, but there's something odd with the tuning... It moves through various textures and sounds, always emphasizing the quiet abilities of both instruments, and often the lower registers. Maybe it's the relatively low volume of everything that forces you to pay closer attention. Maybe it's just that anything these two play will sound good.
I spoke briefly to Uitti about the piece, so I'll let her describe it in her own words. I'll also post a short clip of the performance, as soon as I get the audio edited up (hopefully tomorrow) so keep an eye out for that.
Look for more posts all this week, as I'll be at most of the evening events.
I said this blog would be about the music, and not get personal and self-indulgent, but let me put tonight's concert in my own personal context. For me, and I suspect for most of us, a lot of the new music we hear is ultimately forgettable. Not necessarily bad, but not overly good. And we all agree that this is part of the game - this music needs and deserves to be heard. Performers and presenters haven't had the decades or centuries of filters that dinosaur ensembles have, to get rid of the mediocre and bad music. Of the good music we hear, much falls into the "good" or "great" categories, but it's all too rare that we hear a true gem.
Over the last few years I've grown much more critical and discriminating in what makes the "good" or "great" cut - I suppose that's just natural as we hear more and more music as we get older. But usually I can count on hearing one gem of a piece each season - the kind of piece that sticks with you, that you can't forget about, that you crave to hear again and again. I fully realize that these kinds of pieces can differ greatly from person to person - I've had long arguments with people over pieces that made my "gem" list which they thought were garbage, or at best "good", and vice-versa. But whatever it is that makes it into the "excellent" category, you know it when you hear it, and you can't forget it.
Tonight I got one of those in Frances-Marie Uitti's "La Notte". I'm even at a loss as to how to start describing this piece. It's beautiful, yes, but what does that mean - to me, or to anyone else? Should I describe it technically? Walk you through it? My personal reaction to it? In the end, none of these will do the piece justice, which is, I suppose, why we have music - to communicate something we can't otherwise communicate with words.
I suppose I could at least take a stab at describing it. First off, I imagine the piece would suffer in the hands of any performer other than those of the composer. What a treat to have the ultimate performer for such a great piece. And no doubt, Uitti and Lori Freedman are the ultimate performers. It starts with what at first appearances are traditional arpeggiated chords, but there's something odd with the tuning... It moves through various textures and sounds, always emphasizing the quiet abilities of both instruments, and often the lower registers. Maybe it's the relatively low volume of everything that forces you to pay closer attention. Maybe it's just that anything these two play will sound good.
I spoke briefly to Uitti about the piece, so I'll let her describe it in her own words. I'll also post a short clip of the performance, as soon as I get the audio edited up (hopefully tomorrow) so keep an eye out for that.
Look for more posts all this week, as I'll be at most of the evening events.
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